Turbulence injures 16 on Pan Am flight

An injured passenger is carried from a Pan Am jetliner

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (CNN) -- At least 16 people were injured Friday evening when a Pan Am jet ran into strong turbulence during a flight from Orlando, Florida to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"The plane ran into 'clear-air' turbulence and was diverted to Charleston International Airport," Pan Am Senior Vice President John Nadolny told CNN. "When it landed, four flight attendants and 12 passengers were taken to local hospitals."

A spokeswoman for Roper Hospital North in Charleston said five victims were treated there for "bumps and bruises" and were all in good condition.

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Nadolny said Flight 164, a Boeing 727-200, was flying between storm systems around 5:30 p.m. ET when it suddenly hit turbulence.

He said mechanics were checking the plane to determine if there were any problems with it, but another plane had already been dispatched from the company's headquarters in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He expected most of the passengers to be able to continue the trip, with the final destination of Bangor, Maine.

In June 1998, Guilford Transportation Industries acquired Pan American World Airways after the airline filed for bankruptcy. Pan Am had suffered financially after the 1989 bombing of one of its planes over Lockerbie, Scotland, in which 270 people were killed.

Pan Am now flies to Sanford, Florida; Pittsburgh; Bangor, Maine; Gary, Indiana, and Belleville, Illinois.

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